VENGEFUL SPIRIT, BLACK LEGION BATTLE BARGE . . . . . . . . . . 420 Points Horus, one of the twenty gene-children of the Emperor, is believed by some to have been the first Primarch rediscovered after they were scattered across the galaxy. Horus was found on the planet of Cthonia, a world close enough to Holy Terra that it was within reasonable reach of non-FTL spacecraft. For thirty years, Horus was the only Primarch-son of the Emperor, and during this time they, together with the Sixteenth Space Marine Legion, known as the Luna Wolves, began the Great Crusade and forged the initial expansion of the Imperium of Man. In these days of the Great Crusade when the Emperor of Mankind still walked among mankind, vast legions of Space Marines sallied forth to take possession of the galaxy, subduing all that stood before them and exterminating any alien Xenos encountered to make way for his divine Manifest Destiny. The Emperor and his first Primarch saved each other's lives on several occasions, and it was said that there was a great affinity between them. In these heady days all of mankind stood united, and with their fealty sworn fully to the Emperor as their Omnissiah, many wondrous and terrible creations did the Adeptus Mechanicus construct to carry forth his edict. Among these vessels was a new kind of warship, one of unbelievably vast dimensions equipped with all the firepower of a battleship but capable of transporting and delivering vast numbers of men and materiel directly to the battlefield. This new type of ship served as the chariots that carried forth the Emperor and his Primarchs to conquer the galaxy. Designated a Battle Barge, no other ship type came to be as feared and respected as these, and just their arrival would often result in the quick surrender of a contested system. When the Emperor divined the presence of the second Primarch, he left Horus in full command of the Great Crusade. As more Primarchs were discovered and reunited with their Legions of Space Marines, Horus was often granted overall strategic command. Horus relished this position as head of his legion and its attendant 63rd Expeditionary Fleet
consisting of several battle barges making up the speartip of many hundreds of warships and attendant vessels. He proved his skill time and time again while winning the respect of the Emperor and the admiration of the other Legions. The Luna Wolves Legion reveled in the glory of being the personal guard of the greatest Primarch, sharing Horus' belief in fighting to be the best. The Luna Wolves were always at the forefront of the campaigns, striving to conquer more than any other force in the Imperium. Often, the Legion would swoop in, smash the centers of resistance, and move on, leaving other forces to secure the planet and provide garrison forces. Considered to be the greatest campaign of the Great Crusade, the Luna Wolves' defeat of a massive Ork empire resulted in many awards heaped on the Legion by the Emperor, most notably the promotion of Horus himself to the rank of Warmaster, supreme commander of the Luna Wolves and the Emperor's Armies. It was at this time the Emperor also suggested the Luna Wolves be renamed to the Sons of Horus, though this did not occur until about three years later. The wording of the Emperor's proclamation, claiming the glory of Horus' victories on Ullanor as his own, was the usual rhetoric for such announcements, but it seemed to awaken a deep seated resentment in Horus. In the Primarch's eyes, the Emperor spent his time safe in his palace on Terra, where he returned after the Ullanor Crusade, while Horus created his Imperium for him. Horus was wounded on the moon of the world of Davin by Eugan Temba, a former Imperial Army Lord Commander who had been left behind to govern Davin after the Luna Wolves' conquest but had been corrupted by the Chaos God Nurgle. Temba used an alien sword infused with Chaos energies to badly wound Horus. When his apothecaries were unable to treat Horus' Chaosinfested wounds, he was taken by Erebus of the Word Bearers and the Mournival, high-ranking members of the Sons of Horus, to the lodge on Davin to be healed. It was during this time that
Horus was first corrupted by Chaos, and it was then that Magnus the Red first recognized the threat to the Imperium and attempted to intercede. Not believing Horus would betray him, the Emperor rebuked Magnus for his effort, setting the stage for the Horus Heresy and the unimaginable atrocities that followed. The Sons of Horus took part in many of the campaigns of the Horus Heresy, from the betrayal at Istvaan V right through to the Siege of the Emperor's Palace. It was in the all-consuming fires of the Horus Heresy that battle barges proved themselves as both the bane and savior of Mankind. Countless worlds were reduced to rubble and seas of radioactive glass under the withering fire of its many rows of weapon batteries, and countless of these vessels were lost defending loyal worlds against the vile host of the Betrayer's warfleets. In fact, it was aboard the vengeful Spirit, flagship of Primarch Horus that the final climactic battle of wills took place between the Emperor and his chosen Warmaster turned foul traitor. Though the Emperor was mortally wounded, the traitor Horus was slain, and this one act spelled defeat for the forces of Chaos as the Battle for Terra was won. Virtually all of these ships were lost or destroyed during and immediately after the Horus Heresy and subsequent reorganization of the remaining loyal Space Marine legions into the many Chapters that have thereafter existed for millennia. Few of these vessels are confirmed to exist, the Harbinger of Doom of the Black Legion and the Stonebreaker of the Iron Warriors, though others may still exist in the unassailable reaches of the Maelstrom and Eye of Terror. Though exceedingly rare, these vessels still rightfully command deep respect and fear, and persistent rumors abound that the Stonebreaker has recently taken part in overrunning a remote but critically important Adeptus Mechanicus facility, but this has been categorically denied by Imperial authorities.
1|P age
Special Rules: As the flagship battlebarge of Warmaster Horus, the Vengeful Spirit was effectively the capital ship of the entire Great Crusade, and its design was widely emulated in several variants by the Mechanicus Adepts of Mars before the Heresy. These rare vessels may have changed hands and crews in the intervening millennia, and Chaos battlebarges can be led by a Chaos Lord having +1 leadership for +25 points, and may also embark Chaos Space Marines for an additional +1 leadership (max 10) for +35 points. If Chaos Space Marines are taken, it may embark Chosen Terminators for +10 points, allowing it to roll 2D6 and pick the highest D6 when conducting a Hit and Run attack. Chaos Space Marine battlebarges are ponderous vessels and cannot use Come To New Heading special orders.
FAMOUS BATTLE BARGES: Harbinger of Doom (Black Legion) Destiny’s Hand (Word Bearers) Infidus Imperator (Word Bearers)
Umbrea Insidior (Night Lords) Stonebreaker (Iron Warriors) The Alpha (Alpha Legion)
TYPE /HITS
SPEED
TURNS
SHIELDS
ARMOR
TURRETS
Battleship/12
20cm
45°
4
5+
4
ARMANENT
RANGE
FIREPOWER/STRENGTH
FIRE ARC
Port Weapons Battery
60cm
6
Left
Starboard Weapon Batteries
60cm
6
Right
Dorsal Lances
60cm Swiftdeaths: 30cm Doomfires: 20cm Dreadclaws: 30cm Swiftdeaths: 30cm Doomfires: 20cm Dreadclaws: 30cm Swiftdeaths: 30cm Doomfires: 20cm Dreadclaws: 30cm 30cm
3
Left/ Front /Right
3
N/A
3
N/A
2
N/A
4
Front
Port Launch Bay
Starboard Launch Bay
Prow Launch Bay Prow Lances
Chaos Battlebarge Variants: While the Vengeful Spirit was representative of the battlebarges used by nearly all of the Space Marine Legions at the time of the Horus Heresy, a number of Primarchs, and even renowned Battle-Captains ordered subtle modifications to their ships under their command during extended stays in port between times at the speartip of the Great Crusade. For no change in cost, Chaos battle barges may exchange their broadside weapon batteries for range-45cm, firepower-8, or range-30cm, firepower-10. They may also exchange their prow lances for 8 torpedo tubes for +10 points, and/or their dorsal lances for range-45cm, strength-4 for +10 points. Loyalist Venerable Battlebarge: Most of the Space Marine battlebarges dating from the Great Crusade were destroyed during the Horus Heresy or in the intervening millennia. However, a small number of the battle barges and other truly ancient vessels from that distant age still remain as venerated icons harking to a time when the Emperor himself still walked among his subjects, particularly among Chapters dating form the First and Second Founding. A loyalist Space Marine Chapter may include a single Chaos battle barge in its fleet (or any of the variants described above) as its Venerated Battle barge for the listed point cost, +35 points for having a Space Marine crew.
2|P age
CITY OFLIGHT, THOUSAND SONS BATTLE BARGE . . . . . . . . . . 470 Points locals. As it was, Prospero was home to an exiled commune of human psykers who saw Magnus as one of their own. Magnus became a ward to the community. He quickly exhibited the psychic traits common to the commune, and by the time he reached physical maturity, his power had grown so much that he surpassed every single person on the planet, possibly the greatest that ever existed other than the Emperor. He believed his intellect could master any discipline and his maxim, above all others, was 'Knowledge is power'. The Emperor of Man was attracted to the world of Prospero by the psychic beacon that was one of his lost sons. Magnus was granted command of the 15th Space Marine Legion, the naming of the Legion as the Thousand Sons was recognition that only a thousand original Marines were created from Magnus' genetic material. It was a reunion that could not have come at a better time for the Legion. Formed from Magnus' gene-seed, the Legion contained a high number of Marines who had undergone psychic mutation. Very few survived the mutation, of the few who did, many became the greatest psykers of the era, at a time when factions within the Imperium were calling for the extermination of all mutants and psykers. Magnus bent his intellect towards training the Thousand Sons Legion in the way of the psyker.
When the infant Primarchs were scattered across the galaxy, the child that came to be known as Magnus the Red landed on the world of Prospero. He was fortunate, as normally a grotesque cyclopean being would have been slain at once by superstitious
During this time Prospero gained immeasurable wealth, its capital city of Tizca becoming a beacon of vast pyramidal towers of gleaming silver and gold, becoming a City of Light in the most literal sense, an appellation Magnus took for his own personal battlebarge. It is during this time that many believe the Thousand Sons passed the point of scholarly pursuit and began to dabble in sorcery. Finally the Emperor himself held a council on the planet Nikaea. The proposal was made that while the education of psykers to best serve humanity should be made a priority, the conduct of arcane sorcery would be outlawed as an unforgivable heresy. This
compromise was made law without a provision for rebuttal, and the Edicts of Nikaea have stood for ten thousand years as official Imperial policy. The result of the Council of Nikaea served to mask other, darker betrayals, as Warmaster Horus fell to the machinations of Chaos. Magnus foresaw Horus being corrupted by Chaos and the future events of the Horus Heresy. Burdened with the information imparted by this precognitive vision, he first tried to dissuade Horus through the warp and afterward cast spells and used the power of his Legion's greatest sorcerers to convey the news of the impending civil war to the Emperor himself. The Emperor was furious to see that Magnus had broken his oath and was more willing to believe Magnus was the traitor rather than his favored Horus. Leman Russ, Primarch of the Space Wolves Legion, who had always been averse to such witchcraft, was ordered by the Emperor to bring Magnus to Terra to account for his actions, but en-route Russ was convinced by Horus to destroy Magnus's legion rather than let the Emperor forgive Magnus. Accompanying the Space Wolves was a full contingent of his own personal bodyguard and his elite witch-hunting units, the antipsyker (pariah gene-bearing) Sisters of Silence (originally known as Null Maidens). Landing in a surprise assault on Prospero, the Space Wolves destroyed Tizca and with it much of the knowledge carefully collected by the Thousand Sons. Magnus appeared defeated, but fate had something else in mind for the cyclopean Primarch. Turning to the power of sorcery once more in order to save himself, his Legion and all the knowledge he had accumulated, Magnus, in his anger at the Emperor and at his brother Primarch crossed over to the side of Chaos in vengeance, he and his Legion becoming the pawns of the Chaos God Tzeentch in exchange for a mighty work of magic that transported the City of Light into the Eye of Terror. Prospero was destroyed that day, and the next time the betrayed Thousand Sons were seen in combat,
3|P age
TYPE /HITS
SPEED
TURNS
SHIELDS
ARMOR
TURRETS
Battleship/12
20cm
45°
4
5+
4
ARMANENT
RANGE
FIREPOWER/STRENGTH
FIRE ARC
Port Weapons Battery
60cm
6
Left
Starboard Weapon Batteries
60cm
6
Right
Dorsal Lances
45cm Swiftdeaths: 30cm Doomfires: 20cm Dreadclaws: 30cm Swiftdeaths: 30cm Doomfires: 20cm Dreadclaws: 30cm Swiftdeaths: 30cm Doomfires: 20cm Dreadclaws: 30cm Speed: 30cm
4
Left/ Front /Right
3
N/A
3
N/A
3
N/A
6
Front
Port Launch Bay
Starboard Launch Bay
Prow Launch Bay Prow Torpedoes
they were on the side of Horus. The Thousand Sons retreated to the Eye of Terror after Horus' defeat by the Emperor, after which Tzeentch began bestowing his 'blessings', random physical mutations, on members of the Thousand Sons. A cabal of the legion's strongest sorcerers attempted to counter the warping corruption. Led by Azhek Ahriman, their chief Librarian, they secretly laid the foundations of a mighty spell, afraid that their Primarch would disapprove of their risky actions. The Rubric was both a total success and a total failure. The Thousand Sons were no longer susceptible to mutation, because there was nothing left to mutate. The flesh of the Space Marines was turned to dust, their souls trapped within armor that had become completely sealed. Magnus was enraged, as the Legion he had sacrificed so much for had been destroyed, and he summoned Ahriman to account for his actions. Realizing the Architect of Fate, Tzeentch itself, had orchestrated the entire event, Magnus spared Ahriman. The Thousand Sons' Chief Librarian was banished on an eternal quest for perfect understanding -leading him to take up such dangerous and enticing quests as the hunt for the Eldar Black Library. To this end the great sorcerers of the Thousand Sons have used the City of Light as their conveyance either alone or at the head of small flotillas, ranging throughout the galaxy for the better part of ten thousand years. While it is known that Ahriman himself has embarked on this damned warship on several occasions over its long and infamous history, it is not known whether or not he led this ship or was even aboard it at any time during Abbadon’s 12th or 13th Black Crusades, though it is known that the ship itself was present during both terrible wars.
Special Rules: The City Of Light has the Mark of Tzeentch as part of its point cost. The Changer of Ways provides for command of the Fates, providing this ship with +1 reroll. As part of its cost, it is led by a Chaos Space Marines Lord of the Thousand Sons, imparting +2 leadership (max 10). It is embarked with Chosen Terminators and may roll 2D6 and pick the highest D6 when conducting a Hit and Run attack. A swirling vortex of Chaos surrounds this vessel; any ship that ends its movement within 15cm of this vessel (friend or foe!) must place a blast marker in base contact with it. The City Of Light is a ponderous vessel and cannot use Come To New Heading special orders. Unique Vessel: the City Of Light is a unique vessel; only one may ever be in a Chaos fleet. This vessel may only bear the Mark of Tzeentch. If chosen, it must be used as the fleet’s flagship unless the Planet Killer is also present. It cannot be used in any fleet that has Death Guard Chaos Space Marines or any vessels bearing the Mark of Nurgle unless the fleetattacks is being led by the Abbadon the Despoiler, as there is ageless enmity between the servants of the Bringer of Change and those of the Lord of Decay. part in Horus' against Imperium, and
4|P age
WAGE OF SIN, EMPEROR'S CHILDREN BATTLE BARGE . . . . . . . . 430 Points The Emperor’s Children derive from what was once the resource-poor world of Chemos. Dependent on interstellar trade for food and cut off from the rest of the galaxy by ferocious warp storms, strict rationing and improvisation could not prevent the slow death of its people before the arrival of Fulgrim. Named after a long-abandoned god of the people, Fulgrim was beautiful, pale to the point of albinism, with eyes so dark as to be almost entirely pupil and with shimmering white hair, and he soon became a legend in his own right. He quickly grew to understand the technology he had to work with and began to modify it, increasing efficiency dramatically. By the time he was fifteen years of age, Fulgrim had risen from the rank of worker to become one of the Executives ruling the settlement of Callax. Learning of the gradual deterioration of both Callax and all the other settlements of Chemos, Fulgrim decided that he would save his world. Under Fulgrim's leadership, teams of engineers travelled far from their factoryfortress, reclaiming and repairing many of the farflung mining outposts. As recycling efficiency grew
to the point where Chemos was producing a surplus for the first time in years, Fulgrim began to foster a re-emergence of art and culture, aspects of humanity sacrificed in the struggle for survival. The other settlements allied themselves with Callax, and fifty years after arriving on Chemos, Fulgrim was its sole leader. When the Emperor first arrived on Chemos, Fulgrim swore fealty to him instantly, and was placed at the head of his Legion. From the Emperor, Fulgrim learned of the distant world of Terra, of the Great Crusade to reclaim the sundered galaxy, and of his own origins. An accident destroyed the majority of the gene-seed designated for his legion, and without their Primarch, replacing it was a slow and laborious process. Fulgrim came to address the two hundred Space Marines of his Legion, and the words he spoke were said to inspire the Emperor so much that he named the legion the Emperor's Children, and allowed them to bear the sign of the Aquila, the double-headed eagle that was the Emperor's personal
symbol, on their power armor. Fulgrim was anxious to make his contribution to the Great Crusade, but the comparatively small size of his Legion meant that the Emperor's Children were placed under the command of Horus and his Luna Wolves. Horus and Fulgrim grew close to one another while pacifying the Eastern Fringe. Eagerly continuing his pursuit of perfection, he commissioned his chief apothecary Fabius Bile to tamper with the Legion's gene-seed, enhancing marines like Eidolon beyond the original Space Marine template but creating monstrous abominations in the process. This pursuit was also applied to the warships of his legion, and the battle barges and cruisers of the Emperor’s Children were lavishly appointed, with careful detail applied to every aspect from crew quarters to weapons layout. When Horus declared that he would no longer follow the Emperor, seven full Legions were sent to challenge the Warmaster. Fulgrim and the Emperor's Children were the first to arrive in the Istvaan system, Horus' forward base, and Fulgrim met Horus test s spacer
5|P age
in person, where Horus was able to sway him to his cause. Fulgrim's respect for Horus allowed Chaos to find its way into Fulgrim's heart, destroying his loyalty to Terra and replacing it with burning desire to destroy the man who held humanity back from the perfection Fulgrim desired. Slaanesh whispered to Fulgrim, and he accepted the promises of his new god. Perfection became perfect hedonism. When the loyalist legions arrived in the Istvaan system, the Emperor's Children were at the forefront of the fighting, aiding in the massacre of their former brethren.
TYPE /HITS
SPEED
Battleship/12 ARMANENT Port Lances
25cm
TURNS 45° RANGE 45cm
SHIELDS
ARMOR
4 5+ FIREPOWER/STRENGTH 4
TURRETS 4 FIRE ARC Left
Starboard Lances
45cm
4
Right
Dorsal Weapon Batteries
60cm Swiftdeaths: 30cm Doomfires: 20cm Dreadclaws: 30cm Swiftdeaths: 30cm Doomfires: 20cm Dreadclaws: 30cm Speed: 30cm
6
Left/ Front /Right
2
N/A
2
N/A
9
Front
Port Launch Bay
Starboard Launch Bay Prow Torpedoes
Special Rules: The Wage Of Sin has the Mark of Slannesh as part of its point cost. The gibbering cacophony of moans, laughter and screams it emanates on all frequencies reduces the leadership by -2 of all enemy ships within 15cm. As part of its cost, it is led by a Chaos Lord and embarks Chaos Space Marines of the Emperor’s Children, imparting a combined +2 leadership (max 10). It embarks a retinue of Noise Marines, giving it a boarding modifier of +2. It is embarked with Chosen Terminators and may roll 2D6 and pick the highest D6 when conducting a Hit and Run attack. The Wage Of Sin is a ponderous vessel and cannot use Come To New Heading special orders. Unique Vessel: the Wage Of Sin is a unique vessel; only one may ever be in a fleet. This vessel may only bear the Mark of Slannesh. If chosen, it must be used as the fleet’s flagship unless the Planet Killer is also present in the fleet. It cannot be used in any fleet that has World Eaters Chaos Space Marines or any vessels bearing the Mark of Khorne unless the fleet is being led by Abbadon the Despoiler, as there remains unforgivable animosity between the World Eaters and the Emperor’s Children Chaos Space Marines dating from the Battle of Skalathrax.
All trace of decency amongst the Emperor's Children had vanished by the time they partook in the Siege of Terra. While other Traitor Legions assaulted the Imperial Palace, the Emperor's Children embarked upon a spree of terror and gratification amongst the helpless citizenry of Terra. Billions of defenseless civilians were used as experimental subjects in the effort to create evermore powerful stimulants and pleasure-inducing chemicals, used to summon demons, raped in countless cases, or were simply tortured and killed to sate the bloodlust of the Legion. When Horus was defeated by the Emperor, the Emperor's Children left a trail of depopulated worlds in their wake as they fled towards the Eye of Terror. As their supply of slaves was exhausted, they resorted to raiding the other Traitor Legions for fresh meat, and in the end were crushed by their angry brethren in a series of bloody wars, culminating in the disastrous Battle of Skalathrax, where the Emperor's Children were shattered into bands of hedonistic fanatics. Despite this, a number of bands have managed to maintain a semblance of structure approaching company strength, and Commander Eidolon in particular still maintains a large retinue of Noise Marines by force of will alone aboard his surviving battlebarge. Codified Wage of Sin, it has maintained a close relationship with the Black Legion since the days of the Heresy, and while it has ranged far afield in a never-ending pursuit of more slaves to feed the ravenous appetites of its crew, it has accompanied Abbadon’s personal fleet during most of the many Black Crusades he has waged against the Imperium.
6|P age
CONQUEROR, WORLD EATERS BATTLE BARGE . . . . . . . . . . . . . 390 Points As a boy, Angron was found by a slaver who recognized he had great promise and had him implanted with bio-neural circuitry used to increase a warrior's aggression and strength. Angron was then inducted into the ranks of the planet's numerous slave-gladiators. After only a few months in the largest arena of the planet's capital, Angron came to be known as a proud warrior of fearsome skill, and quickly became a crowd favorite. He killed hundreds of gladiators, in both single and multiple combats, but spared those who had fought well. Angron trained several of the gladiators he had spared, and at the height of the largest gladiatorial event on the planet, Angron and his followers turned on the crowd, slaughtering everyone and fighting their way free in a display of psychotic, implantaugmented fury. They prepared themselves for the final battle as five vastly superior armies surrounded the slaves' camp. It was at this time that the Emperor revealed himself. Angron was offered leadership of but Angron refused, believing his place to be with the army he forged and led. The Emperor teleported him to his own ship against Angron’s wishes, abandoning his troops to certain defeat and death. Angron eventually took command of the World Eaters, but never forgave the Emperor for his
abduction, and what he saw as a betrayal of martial honor. This bred resentment that eventually contributed to Angron's joining the Traitor Marines' rebellion against the Emperor that was led by the Warmaster Horus. Knowing firsthand how effective the surgery inflicted on him could be, Angron ordered the Legion's Techmarines to replicate the implants and processes, using himself as a template. Soon the entire Legion was modified, and initially the enhanced Companies of the World Eaters were highly successful, gaining a reputation as effective terror troops. The shipyards at his disposal did not hesitate to incorporate refits that optimized the vessel for the combat doctrine and fighting style of his Legion, favoring high speed and serrated ranks of close-ranged batteries that encouraged close-quarters battles over the speartip formations and ranged combat doctrines developed over the course of the Great Crusade. No mercy was offered by the World Eaters, only bloody death at the end of a chain-axe, and entire systems would surrender unconditionally in attempts to avoid suffering this fate shortly after his flagship arrived. Eventually, the Legion's use of implants was discovered, and the Emperor ordered Angron to cease modifying his soldiers.
Unsurprisingly, Angron disobeyed, ordering his Techmarines to continue the surgeries in secret. Capitalizing on the Legion’s ranks of raving warriors and bloody rituals, it took little effort for them to be corrupted into the worship of Khorne, and they were the first to side with Horus when his betrayal was made public. As part of a bloody sacrifice to their new master, the Librarians of the World Eaters were hunted down and killed by their brother Marines, as Khorne despised all practitioners of the sorcerous (psyker) arts. After Horus’s defeat and their retreat to the Eye of Terror, Angron was elevated to daemonhood, becoming Khorne's greatest daemon prince. For centuries the fate of the Conqueror remained a mystery, though scattered reports indicate it was at the head of small flotillas or solitary raids on several occasions throughout Segmentum Obscurus and the Northern Rim. When the World Eaters ceased to exist as a unified Legion due to the actions of Khârn the Betrayer during the Battle of Skalathrax in 021.M31, the Conqueror likewise faded to obscurity. It was finally reported destroyed by a large Imperial formation in M35, but this proved to be incorrect when it again assailed itself upon the Dominion of Man in a series of raids in 435.M37 ranging
7|P age
throughout Segmentum Obscurus. Adorned with row upon row of white, leering skulls in dedication to the throne of Khorne, it is known to have changed hands several times, as the servants of the blood god see their starships as little more than a means of transport from one opportunity to slaughter for Khorne to the next.
TYPE /HITS
SPEED
Battleship/12
25cm
TURNS 45°
SHIELDS
ARMOR
4
5+
ARMANENT
RANGE
FIREPOWER/STRENGTH
TURRETS 4 FIRE ARC
Port Lances
30cm
3
Left
Starboard Lances
30cm
3
Right Left/ Front /Right
Dorsal Weapon Batteries
45cm
8
Port Weapon Batteries
30cm
12
Left
Starboard Weapon Batteries
30cm
12
Right
Prow Torpedoes
Speed: 30cm
9
Front
The Conqueror figured prominently during the Accursed One’s 12th Black Crusade in the Gothic Sector, this time under the leadership of Warmaster Heinrich Bale at the head of a large fleet of ships. His warfleet in general and his flagship in particular proved to be a menacing foe that successfully maintained a blockade of Port Maw itself for more than three years and laid waste to many Imperial ships in the Port Maw sub-sector. His was one of the very last warfleets to withdraw in defeat in the closing stages of the Gothic War, only doing so while engaging in a titanic series of running battles during which many of the ships under his command were destroyed, usually only after engaging at close range and attempting to board their enemies rather than retreat. Once again the infamous vessel escaped and disappeared from the record, only to emerge at the head of a small warfleet during the 13th Black Crusade, this time as the flagship of Kosolax the Foresworn.
Special Rules: The Conqueror has the Mark of Khorne as part of its point cost and always counts as double its boarding value. As part of its cost, it is led by a Chaos Space Marines Lord with the Mark of Khorne and embarks Chaos Space Marines, together imparting a total +2 leadership (max 10). It embarks a retinue of Khorne Bezerkers, giving it a boarding modifier of +2 in addition to its boarding value. It is embarked with Chosen Terminators and may roll 2D6 and pick the highest D6 when conducting a Hit and Run attack. The Conqueror is a ponderous vessel and cannot use Come To New Heading special orders. Unique Vessel: the Conqueror is a unique vessel; only one may ever be in a fleet. This vessel may only bear the Mark of Khorne. If chosen, it does not have to be used as the fleet’s flagship unless it is the most expensive vessel present. However, it cannot be used in any fleet that has Emperor’s Children Chaos Space Marines or any vessels bearing the Mark of Slannesh unless the fleet is being led by Abbadon the Despoiler, as there remains unforgivable animosity between the World Eaters and the Emperor’s Children Chaos Space Marines.
8|P age
CHAOS CERBERUS CLASS HEAVY CRUISER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245 Points
FAMOUS SHIPS: Tartarus Charon TYPE /HITS Cruiser/8 ARMANENT
SPEED 25cm
TURNS 45° RANGE
Thanatos
SHIELDS
ARMOR
2
5+
Hellhound TURRETS
FIREPOWER/STRENGTH
2 FIRE ARC
Port Lances
30cm
2
Left
Starboard Lances
30cm
2
Right
Dorsal Lance Batteries
45cm
2
Left/ Front /Right
Port Weapon Batteries
45cm
8
Left
Starboard Weapon Batteries
45cm
8
Right
Prow Weapon Batteries
30cm
6
Left/ Front /Right
The failure of the Hellfire as a viable heavy cruiser design late in M33 led the Adeptus Mechanicus to investigate additional avenues to incorporate increasing levels of firepower into a standard cruiser hull. To this end Mechanicus Adepts of the Sethelan forgeworld modified their Scartix Coil design so that its prodigious energy output could be applied to primary weapons instead of propulsion. The Scartix Coil was a carefully guarded secret by the Sethelan forge world, and its highly efficient design made vessels from Sethelan’s shipyards highly coveted not only by the Imperial Navy but by various Rogue Traders and other mercantile concerns. Despite this, it proved difficult to couple the required power to the primary weapons to meet the weight and range of firepower the Imperial Navy sought to achieve, and results were dissatisfactory at best. Only a few vessels of this class were completed when the Dutiful bombarded and destroyed the primary Sethelan shipyards during a surprise attack in 126.M34. With the shipyard destroyed and the secret of the Scartix Coil with it, the Charon was no longer a possible solution for delivering greater firepower, though some of its developments were later incorporated into the Repulsive grand cruiser. The few Charon heavy cruisers built were soon decommissioned and left in parking orbits with the rest of the Bastion Fleets at Belis Corona and other fortified systems near the Eye of Terror in M35, where they could be quickly re-activated if necessary. While the Imperial Navy chose to mobilize more recently decommissioned vessels such as the Murder and Hades at the onset of Abbadon’s 13th Black Crusade, the traitor fleets abconded with whatever vessels they managed to secure during their incursions. It is known that at least four and possibly more Charon heavy cruisers were found to be missing from their parking orbits in the latter stages of the war, and the Hellhound was reported to be operating with the fleet of Kosolax the Foresworn. The Charon was reported in the vicinity of the Subiaco Diablo system, but it is unknown what fleet it may be accompanying.
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CHAOS HECATE CLASS HEAVY CRUISER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240 Points As the Styx began to fall out of favor late in M33, the Hecate was seen as a more fitting and wellrounded replacement for fleet engagements and solitary patrols by the Imperial Navy. The shipyards at Cypra Mundi were only beginning to construct these in any quantity when favor was given toward newer hull designs by the shipyards of Mars. Most were decommissioned by late M35, though the Blade of Fury was used in fleet exercises as part of the Gaerox Prerogative as late as M36. By this time a number of similar vessels had turned renegade, and fearing some inherent design flaw that made these ships susceptible to corruption, the Imperial Navy acted swiftly to decommission the remainder of these ships in favor of the new Mars hull design.
FAMOUS SHIPS: Blade of Fury Erebus TYPE /HITS Cruiser/8 ARMANENT
SPEED 25cm
TURNS
Dorsal Lance Batteries
45° RANGE Swiftdeaths: 30cm Doomfires: 20cm Dreadclaws: 30cm Swiftdeaths: 30cm Doomfires: 20cm Dreadclaws: 30cm 60cm
Port Launch Bay
Starboard Launch Bay
Reign of Terror
SHIELDS
ARMOR
2
5+
Lustful
TURRETS
FIREPOWER/STRENGTH
3 FIRE ARC
2
N/A
2
N/A
2
Left/ Front /Right
Port Weapon Batteries
45cm
6
Left
Starboard Weapon Batteries
45cm
6
Right
Prow Weapon Batteries
60cm
6
Left/ Front /Right
Only one of these vessels was known to have turned renegade before the Gothic War, though it is unknown with any certainty if it was present during that conflict. However, at least three of these ships were captured very early during Abbadon’s 13th Black Crusade, including the Blade of Fury, Erebus and Admiral Foster. The Blade of Fury was subsequently seen accompanying the traitor battle barge Wage of Sin on several occasions, particularly during the razing of Belisimar and for several raids on the orbital docs of Belis Corona. The Admiral Foster was most active of the four. Renamed Reign of Terror by its captain, it participated in numerous engagements at Ormantep and Thracian Primaris and was among the fleet present at the destruction of Urthwart by the mighty Planet Killer.
“
ince before the time of The Fall, our race has been haunted by what we, in our reckless pursuit of hedonistic indulgence, gave birth to. Though our dreams once overturned worlds and quenched suns, we are now but fitful shadows clinging to the edge of existence. All the stars in the sky cannot blot out the hateful glare of the Red Moon’s Eye. The birthing place of the Great Enemy pulses with all the malice of a demon demon that is dreaming,, casting its shadow over all we have ever done and all we ever shall. Every twisted strand of Fate and casting of the Runes leads me to this time, to this place, and it is clear that the final battle awaits me at the ancient Crone Worlds. A conflict the likes of which has not been seen since the Mon-Keigh warred amongst themselves, when their corpse of a seer fell to his traitorous son, is coming and all my steps lead towards it, no matter that I walk other paths. I see the stars stained red with blood of the Mon-Keigh and, though their wars do not concern me and I would gladly let them destroy one another, I know that to avoid this fight is to condemn my race to inevitable doom. And though all I see is darkness, I know that I will not flinch from my destiny.” - Eldrad Ulthran, Farseer of the Ulthwé Craftworld before his death attempting liberate the Blackstone Fortress above Cadia
S
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CHAOS INFERNO CLASS CRUISER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190 Points
FAMOUS SHIPS: Havoc Pillager TYPE /HITS Cruiser/8 ARMANENT
SPEED 25cm
TURNS
Apostate
SHIELDS
ARMOR
2
5+
Rampage TURRETS
Port Weapon Batteries
45° RANGE Swiftdeaths: 30cm Doomfires: 20cm Dreadclaws: 30cm Swiftdeaths: 30cm Doomfires: 20cm Dreadclaws: 30cm 60cm
Starboard Weapon Batteries
60cm
4
Right
Prow Weapon Batteries
60cm
6
Left/ Front /Right
Port Launch Bay
Starboard Launch Bay
FIREPOWER/STRENGTH
3 FIRE ARC
2
N/A
2
N/A
4
Left
The Inferno is believed to be a very early design pre-dating the Devastation and a counterpart of the Carnage. Like the Carnage, it was marred by technical difficulties maintaining and powering its long-range batteries on a cruiser hull at the time, and the class was quickly supplanted in front line units by more modern units. While unsuitable for front-line engagements, it found utility as a pirate hunter and patrol cruiser and was typically sent on lonely vigils for months and sometimes years at a time. Even the Bastion fleets have not had an example of this class for many centuries, though a small number were known to turn renegade before the class was removed from service entirely by M35. None were known for certain to have been present during the Gothic War, though the Havoc and Apostate are both known to have operated throughout Segmentum Obscuras and the Northern Rim. The Pillager and Rampage on the other hand have spent little time in Segmentum Obscuras since going renegade, and for many centuries their whereabouts were unknown until scattered reports concerning these two vessels surfaced in the vicinity of the Maelstrom in M37. Several vessels of this class were reported in various engagements at Cadia, Kantrael and Agripinaa. While only the Pillager was identified with any certainty, at least two or three of these ships must have participated in the war for the vast distances between systems they were sighted in.
Using Vessels for the Power of Chaos: Battle barges that are listed in their special rules as unique vessels can only be taken once in a fleet list, regardless of how many vessels are in the fleet. Battle barges like the Vengeful Spirit and its variants can be taken for the point costs indicated in the same manner as battleships but otherwise without restriction. Cerberus, Hecate and Inferno class vessels can be taken in the same manner as and following all the same rules for other heavy cruisers and cruisers in the Chaos fleet list. Using Renegade Imperial Vessels: In the ten millennia since the Horus Heresy, countless warship crews have mutinied against their officers or colluded with them to renounce their vows to the Imperium and turn renegade, especially during the Gothic War and the 13th Black Crusade. While some classes have proven more prone to this taint than others, almost no ship class has proven entirely immune to the allure of Chaos or the promise of easy wealth, power and riches by using the awesome might of an Imperial warship to scour the merchant lanes for profit or carve out a niche or fiefdom from some poorly-defended backwater. For every 1500 points in a Chaos fleet, it may contain up to one cruiser from any Imperial Navy fleet list up to 185 points. No special refits or rules may be taken for Imperial Navy vessels used in this manner. Additionally, it may include up to four Imperial Navy escorts. These need not be in a single squadron and may be interspersed within other Chaos escort squadrons if desired. While they should ideally be painted to represent their status, they may only recently have turned renegade and need not necessarily be painted to match the Chaos fleet!
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ACTIVATED BLACKSTONE FORTRESS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 750 Points
TYPE /HITS Defense/16 ARMANENT Warp Cannons
SPEED 10cm
TURNS Special RANGE 90cm
SHIELDS
ARMOR
6
6+
TURRETS
FIREPOWER/STRENGTH
0 FIRE ARC
8
All Around
Special Rules: A Blackstone Fortress cannot go onto special orders but is assumed to automatically pass all other Leadership tests it is required to make. The Blackstone Fortress can move up to 10cm in any direction in the movement phase: it does not turn like a normal ship. It has no crew and so does not add a D6 to its boarding score during a boarding action. A Blackstone Fortress’ warp cannons roll 1 dice per point of Strength and require a 4+ to hit, like a lance. However, a warp cannon shot ignores shields: all hits will affect a ship directly. Super Mega-Death Shot: The Blackstone Fortress is capable of channeling its energy into a single shot of extraordinary magnitude if not crippled. To do so, it must build up its energy by not moving or firing its weapons for one turn. In the next turn, it must remain still and immediately fire its weapon in the shooting phase. Trace a straight line 90cm from the stem of the Blackstone Fortress in any direction desired with the Nova Cannon template. Any ship friend or foe that touches the template with its stem (not its base!) takes 8 lance shots, ignoring shields or any similar mechanism (spores, holofields, etc.). Any ship that touches the center of the template with its stem is immediately destroyed! This same shot can also be used in Exterminatus if the Blackstone Fortress reaches the low orbit table, in which case the planet is destroyed on a roll of 2+. Multiple Blackstone Fortresses (no more than 3) can combine this shot together if they are all never more far apart than the diameter of a Nova Cannon Template. The shot centers from the template placed in the middle of the Fortresses and cannot cross the stem of any one Fortress. Every additional Fortress combined in this way increases the range by 90cm and the number of lance shots on the template by 8. While charging, any ordnance or escorts touching the area between the Fortresses is immediately destroyed. However, capital ships may disrupt the charging process by doing so, taking 8 lance shots that ignore shields and cannot be braced for every Fortress charging. If this happens, each Fortress automatically takes D6 hits, cannot move or shoot in the next turn and must recharge again before firing.
It is an unspeakable irony that much of what is known about the Blackstone Fortresses was only ascertained after they were lost to the Imperium during the Gothic War. Now believed to be millions of years old, they were originally known by the ancient Eldar as the Talismans of Vaul. The Fortresses were equipped with a warp-cannon that could create a devastating rip in space and an eruption of energy out of the Immaterium. Long dormant, they were easily boarded, claimed by the military forces of the Imperium of Man, modified and integrated into the defense infrastructure of the various star systems. However, during the Gothic War, Abaddon the Despoiler came into possession of ancient artifacts known as the Eye of Darkness and the Hand of Night, which he somehow used to activate and control three of these behemoth constructs. Once awake they were able to shed their grafted-on Imperial equipment and glide slowly through space under their own power, using their original warp-cannon in place of the turrets and fighter bays the Navy had built onto them. Each was capable of destroying worlds, and the three together proved capable of destroying an entire star system, cauing the star Tarantis to go nova. At the end of the Gothic War, a combined force of Imperial Navy and Eldar forces destroyed one of the three in Abbadon’s possession, at which time the remaining three still in Imperial hands self-destructed as well. For centuries, there was no sign of the two Blackstone Fortresses Abbadon managed to escape with back to the Eye of Terror. That all changed at the beginning of the 13th Black Crusade, when the Accursed One used them to great effectiveness to bombard the planet of Cadia, holding the entire system in thrall until once again a combined fleet of Imperial and Eldar warships forced it and its escorts to withdraw. There are reports that the second Blackstone Fortress was destroyed during a surprise attack by Necron raiders, but this has not been confirmed. Note: One Activated Blackstone Fortress may be fielded for every FULL 750 points in a Chaos fleet.
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